My blog is simply about Life, Gluten Free. It includes everything from some of our favorite Gluten Free products and recipes, to talking about raising a Gluten Free Family.

May 03, 2013

As a mom, I don’t want my kids to feel deprived or left out
over something as easy to fix as dinner.

I have teenage girls and sometimes they are like little
walking time bombs. Things that seem
somewhat matter of fact to you and me seem so dramatic to them. In fact, I think they actually like drama so
much that they create it. So the fact that
they cannot have the chicken nuggets that are served at school for lunch may
not be such a big deal to some kids, but to teenage girls everything seems like
a big deal.

There is no reason they should feel deprived over something
as easy as a chicken nuggets. We can’t
hit the drive through at McDonalds (thank goodness) but we can make our
own! And it is super easy.

To make your own
Chicken Nuggets in Three Easy Steps:

Step One: Prepare the Chicken Take two to four chicken breast, put them in a gallon ziplock bag and pound them until they are thin strips.

Cut into one
inch strips.

Put them in a bowl and pour
about ¼ cup olive or canola oil over the top. Add 1 - 2 teaspoons of salt and stir to coat
all of the chicken pieces.

Step Two: Make the Topping and Coat Make or buy a Gluten Free coating.

You
can use almost anything that you have in the kitchen. Premade breadcrumbs and coatings work nice
but so do ground up potato chips. Use about 1/2 cup of prepared coating for every breast of chicken. Some choices:

Make a coating by
combining 1/2 cup of GF Flour (really any kind will work) per chicken breast with 1 teaspoon of
salt, some pepper and 1 teaspoon of garlic salt. For a southwest flavored nugget use chili
powder and cayenne pepper. Want to serve the chicken with pasta and red sauce, use some oregano and thyme.

Buy a premade coating
such as Hodgson Mill Seasoned Coating Mix.
I actually really like the flavors in this coating. Reminds me of the fried chicken my grandma
used to make.

Grind up GF chips in
a food processor such as Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Chips, GF
Tostitos, or try Lays BBQ Stax for a BBQ tasting chicken nugget. If you
have some GF flour, I think it helps to add a couple of tablespoons of GF flour
to the ground up chips. Gives it a
little better texture but is not necessary.

Dredge the chicken through the coating. Coat both sides of the chicken.

Step Three: Bake at 450 degrees Place them on an oiled cookie sheet and bake
at 450 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes depending on how thick you cut the chicken
strips.

Bake until the chicken is cooked through and
has a nice crispy crust. Halfway
through the cooking time, turn the nuggets over and if there are any dry spots
in the coating, drizzle on a little extra olive oil.

There is a pretty good selection of pre-made GF chicken
nuggets in the freezer of your grocery store:

Ian's Chicken Nuggets
– we call these non-chicken chicken nuggets. I have not had McDonalds nuggets in years,
but these seem to be a look alike; not much meat in terms of filing but a good
crunchy crust and good flavor that my kids like.
Free of gluten,
casein, eggs, nuts and soy. Ian’s
states that it "secures independent laboratory testing to ensure that our
wheat-free, gluten-free products fall well below this World Health Organization
requirement of less than 10 ppm."

Bell and Evans Gluten Free
Chicken Products - these are my favorite of the pre-made frozen
kind. They have a really nice crust and
bake well in the oven but they are also loaded with good white chicken meat. No one would ever guess they are gluten free.
Their processing plant is monitored sensitive to less than 10 parts per
million.

Applegate Naturals GF Chicken Nuggets – these are a cross of
the first two – more chicken product in them than the Ian’s but not as much as
Bell and Evans. They also have a
stronger flavor than the Ian’s but seem more towards the snack kind of GF
nugget than a real meal. This brand is
certified GF by the GFCO but some were recalled earlier this year for “misbranding
and undeclared wheat on the product label.” Apparently
some “regular” nuggets were accidentally put into the packing for the GF
nuggets. Personally, I won’t eat
them.

May 01, 2013

Today is the first
day of Celiac Disease Awareness Month. Ten years ago I never dreamed that I would be here writing these words, cooking gluten free food and trying to raise awareness for Celiac Disease. To start the month off, here is a story written by my daughter, Alex.

This is how my
daughter remembers the summer she found out she had Celiac Disease. She wrote this in 7th Grade. She is now a very healthy Junior in High School.

A Summer to Remember

by: Alex

For
most kids, third grade is one of the easiest years in school, but not for
me. I was just like every other kid, I loved to play with my friends, I
had a family that loved me, but I was sick. Altogether I missed 36 days
of school. My stomach felt like somebody was punching me from the
inside. I threw up a lot. My head
was burning as if a heater was constantly following me.

I
was skinny and pale and never felt good.

Of
course, my parents got worried and that is when the first doctor visit
happened.

I
stumbled into Room Two at the Pediatric Center feeling worried and sick, as
usual. I can still remember the smell of the antibacterial
soap and rubber gloves. The doctor strode in. He did not know what was wrong, so he decided
to draw my blood. It was a completely painful and terrifying experience. I was so dehydrated they could not find a vein. They had to poke my arm
several times. Actually I had so
many bad blood draws that year that I am hysterically terrified of getting my
blood drawn.

After
several visits to the doctor and them finally deciding I had more than just the
flu, they did a test for Celiac Disease. It was positive.

At
the time I had no idea what that was and could not even pronounce the
name. We discovered later that Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder
that requires you to not eat gluten.
They said not eating gluten would get ride of my stomachaches. To
figure out if I really had Celiac Disease, we had to go see another doctor who
was a specialist at Children’s Hospital.

Children’s
Hospital is made to look warm and cheery and happy, but all I felt was fear and
nervousness.

The cedar brown
elevator dinged as my mom and I reached the floor we were looking for.
The waiting room was very large and jungle themed. Little kids were
playing with the toys but I just sat there and watched my mom fill out
paperwork the receptionist gave her. Finally, we were called in and I
caught my first glimpse of the doctor.

The
doctor was a short, old man that seemed very in-control of the situation. “Well
ladies,” he said painfully slowly, “your doctor informed me you came here to
find out what is wrong with Alexandra. The best way to find out if she
has Celiac Disease is to have her blood drawn and for further reassurance, perform
a biopsy of her small intestine.” He explained what would happen and we
left. Another blood draw? I
was terrified about what would happen.

When
I ran out of what I still consider the torture chamber, my mom, who seemed
rather stressed, set up an appointment.

I
was clutching my two new stuffed animal dogs while I angrily marched into the
lab where they would draw my blood. The nurse started to clean off my arm and
said annoyed, “Trust me you’ll be fine. I do this all day, every day.”
That just freaked me out even more!

The
time came and the nurse stuck a needle into my arm and instantly I started
crying. Sadly, I looked at the three vials of blood they just forcefully
drew from me. That is a sight I will never forget. I drank some
disgusting liquid and waited for a whole hour for the next blood draw.
The time came and luckily I had a nicer nurse.

“Just
relax and breath and look we are already done!”

I
left the hospital feeling disgusted and upset but thankful I survived.

A
few weeks later, the day came for the biopsy and we were back at Children’s
Hospital. I had to get an endoscopy, which is when they
stick a tube with a camera on it down your throat, and take a fingerlike thing
off your intestine. I was freaking out again. I told them I wanted
root beer flavored “laughing gas” while I changed into my uncomfortable, ugly
and unforgettable robe. I walked into the room and was even more nervous
than before. Needles were everywhere and large machines filled the
room. There were at least eight doctors and nurses in the room. I
clung to my dad’s leg as they made me lay down on the bed.

“All
you have to do is give me three big breaths and listen to the story I am going
to tell you,” said the big scary doctor.

Suddenly
I woke up in a room full of crying babies and a nurse asked me if I wanted
juice or a Popsicle. I refused to eat or drink because obviously the
laughing gas was still in effect. They made me drink juice and sit in a
silly wheel chair instead of walking. I tried to walk as I left the
hospital but that did not work so well!

The
test results came back the same day I broke my arm while I was playing at my
neighbor’s house. My mom sat me down and told me I had Celiac Disease for
sure and that I was not going to be able to eat gluten anymore. I felt
like my world was crumbling right in front of me.

Eventually, I realized
my life was not ending; it was getting better. Through me we figured out
my mom was allergic to dairy and gluten too. I still go in for check-ups at
Children’s Hospital but I now tower over the doctor like a skyscraper towers
over the streets below. Compared to back then, I am healthy, happy and
hardly ever sick!

April 29, 2013

The Gluten Free Community has long raved about Pamela's Gluten Free Mixes. I know that her Baking & Pancake Mix is a favorite of many. I had never tried the mix because it has dairy in it. I am the only one in my family that is GF and CF (dairy free) and my kids eat plenty of dairy, but this stopped me from baking with her mix.
Recently, Pamela’s Products released three new mixes that are gluten free and
can be made dairy free as well. We sample a lot of GF products and these
quickly moved to the top of our Favorite GF Mixes List.

I think the mixes are just better
because Pamela has been at GF baking for a long time. Pamela
Giusto-Sorrells has been baking GF since 1988 and Pamela’s Products is one of
the founding gluten free food makers.

It is this longevity in the industry that
gives these mixes the extra-specialness.
Pamela has not thrown together a quick and easy mix to fill a new
market. She has put effort and a lot of skill into
making these mixes extra special. Comparing
these mixes with some other popular GF mixes is like comparing a Lexus with a
Prius. Both will get you where you want
to go, but the amount of enjoyment and satisfaction you get out of the ride will be different.

We sampled:

Pamela’s Artisan Flour Blend: A light flour blend that will work in most
baking recipes as a one-to-one replacement for wheat flour. We made Waffles! They were a bit flimsy and needed to cook
longer to get crispy but the flavor was better than any GF waffle we have ever
made. This
flour blend has no dairy, no nuts, no salt, no leavening, no corn and no soy.

Pamela’s Sugar Cookie Mix –
Roll & Cut: These were our
favorite! My GF Teen used the mix to make cookies for a friend who is sick.
We were sad to see half of them walk out the door with her. This mix produced one of the best GF sugar
cookies I have ever tasted. Sweet and
crisp – we did not take the time to roll them out and cut shapes out but what a
great mix if you are looking for cut out cookies! Look how well they held their shape. They will not disappoint you!

They are so good that I just ordered some from Amazon.com
to have on hand. Right now on Amazon the mix is only $3.83 and you can get free shipping with Amazon Prime if you order this as an add-on item. That is a really good deal! Click the link below for details.

April 26, 2013

It is that time of the year when the school uniform pants get too short and my kids start to complain about their lunches.

I can't blame them; my GF Teen has taken her lunch to school everyday since third grade and our school offers virtually nothing that my two gluten free kids can eat.

It is always about this time of the year when I get really tired of making three lunches every morning and they get tired of the food.

Here is what we have been packing in school lunches this year. I would love some new ideas/suggestions from all of you!

Some Ideas for Gluten Free Lunches.

MAIN ENTREE:

Warm food always taste good at lunch. Pack an extra paper towel in
the lunch so they can lay it down in the microwave then put their food
on top of it. Just leave the paper towel in the microwave when done
and pack some wipes to cleanse hands before eating. Some warm food
options:

Gluten Free Pizza – this is a kid favorite. Just keep a couple of
pieces from dinner the night before, put them on a paper plate in
a gallon zip lock bag, the student just needs to remove the paper
plate and warm.

Leftovers from Dinner – if you buy the right thermos, you can eliminate the need to warm it up. My daughter loves tomato soup in her lunch. Or buy a canned soup by Kettle Cuisine.

Nachos – in the morning I will pack some GF Tostitos with
shredded cheese in a microwavable container. My daughter warms it at
school to melt the cheese. Pack a little container of GF
salsa too.

GF bread with butter and cheese – Udi’s
bread holds up really well in a lunchbox. I toast it in the
morning, add whatever toppings my kids like, and then seal it all up
in a Ziploc bag. Use Sunbutter if you cannot use peanuts.

Frito lays has
an extensive list of gluten free chips that they have "validated
through analytical testing that the following products contain
less than 20 ppm of gluten." They seem to add more and more chips
to the list every few months.

Halfpops Are just that –
partially popped kernels with great flavor. Gluten, trans fat,
corn and preservative free! Love these!

WOW Wheat and Gluten Free Cookies and Brownies
These are the best of the best; Large, soft and delicious. Much like
you would find at the local bakery. The price reflects the quality of
the ingredients - organic ingredients, high quality butter, and cane
juice.

April 23, 2013

If you read this blog, you are probably already gluten free. Some of us face the double challenge
of being on a dairy or casein free diet and a gluten free diet, often times called the GFCF diet.

There is difference between lactose intolerance and
a true dairy allergy.

Lactose is the sugar that is
present in dairy products. The body produces lactase at the tip of the
intestinal villi. Lactase is the enzyme
responsible for digesting lactose. If the villi are damaged, as can happen with
Celiac Disease, not enough lactase is made and a person develops lactose
intolerance. Some people with lactose
intolerance may be able to tolerate dairy on occasion and can treat it with
lactase replacement digestive enzyme before meals. As such, some foods labeled lactose free may
contain milk derivatives such as caseinate and butter fat or butter oil.

Some people who avoid dairy are
actually allergic to casein. Casein is the protein found in milk. People who are on a Casein Free diet for
medical reasons will usually avoid all dairy products. In addition, some people pair a casein free
diet with a gluten free diet to treat Autism Spectrum Disorders and difficult
to treat digestive disorders like Crohn's Disease or IBS.

The information provided here is
for those on a Casein Free diet who are avoiding all forms of dairy.

Kosher is good.
Foods certified as kosher non-dairy or pareve are free of dairy proteins. Of course, Kosher free does not equate to
gluten free, so you still need to check on the gluten content.

Casein-Free Alternatives: By experimenting with
our recipes, we have found that many can be converted to also be casein free. There are also many over-the-counter casein
free alternatives.

Cow’s milk: Try a non-dairy alternative milk such as a
GF Coconut, Almond, Soy or Rice Milk.
My first choice is coconut milk but it can taint some foods with
that coconut flavor. To avoid that,
use almond milk. Both have the
consistency of a whole milk.

Cream Cheese: There are non-dairy versions available at
natural food markets. Make sure and check that they are GF as
well. Try Tofutti Brand Better Than Cream Cheese®
but read about what they say about being GF HERE.

Sour
Cream: There are non-dairy versions available at natural food
markets. Make sure and check that they are gluten free as well. Tofutti also makes a non-hydrogenated Better Than Sour Cream that
is casein free. Best Foods Mayonnaise can also
substitute for sour cream. When
making tacos, I mix it with salsafor the taco topping. (My entire
family does this now, even the ones that do not have a dairy allergy). I
use it in the same way when we go out to dinner.

Yogurt: There are many casein free yogurts. I love the So Delicious Dairy Free Cultured Coconut Milk “yogurts.”

Cheese: Daiya makes a GF and CF cheese that comes shredded and in
slices. The flavor is fine but it
takes some extra heat for it to melt.
If making a pizza, place under the broiler for a few minutes to
crisp the cheese topping.

Recipe
for Casein and Gluten Free Cheese Substitute. The following is our recipe for a dairy free cheese
substitute. This is a savory cheese that works great in lasagna, calzones
and pizzas. It is not a substitute for baked sweet treats.

Press
the water out of the tofu by holding it between two paper towels and pressing
firmly.

Add
all of the ingredients to a food processor except the optional spices.
Start with 2 Tablespoons ume plum vinegar and then add more as you
desire. Process until smooth and creamy. Taste and add more salt if
needed. Add optional herbs and pulse until combined.